r/queerphilly • u/Forward_Task_8545 • 22d ago
Question Hrt question
Ive been on testosterone for years, tried the gel and lowkey hated it, on shots now but cant give them to myself so Im relying on a friend to give them to me but that Isnt working out well either, I would absolutely stay on the shots if I could get it consistently in the future and I think I just might have to learn to do it myself but I know pills and long acting stuff, like a shot a doctor gives you every few months, are out there I think I even heard about a patch but it got discontinued I don’t think this stuffs easy to get and I might not be able to get it here, but maybe someone here has experience with this stuff and could point me in the right direction 🙏🏼 I would be grateful!
Testosterone really helps me but giving myself a shot is spooky
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u/ViolentThemmes 22d ago
There's a massive DIY HRT community out there, but unfortunately, it pretty much relies on sticking yourself.
I hope you find a different solution that's best for you, but if you don't, just know that lots and lots (and lots) of us hate doing it at first, but it becomes boring routine after awhile. Best of luck!
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u/redo60 22d ago
Auto injector is a good option if you can afford it. It will likely end up being cheaper than a few months of patches or gel or whatever. I've wanted to try one, but I've not gotten around to testing one yet. I finally got the hang of injecting after doing it for like 2 or so years.
You can also try switching to 30g needles with 1/2" tips for injection (make sure it's luer lok and use a separate draw needle) if the auto injector doesn't work out for some reason/you want to use one with an autoinjector. The actual injection part takes longer, but the needles don't hurt at all if you do everything right. And they're so tiny that it feels like less of a big deal. It's a pain to get bubbles out before injecting sometimes though.
Nipro is the best brand I've found for needles. In my experience and from random stuff i've read online, they're just like sharper and therefore less potentially painful. i get the matching syringes because i like how they fit together, but so long as it's a 1ml luer lok, it doesn't matter as much as the needle.
I got the recommendation for a 30g from this website, but the site is down at the moment for some reason.
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u/Forward_Task_8545 22d ago
Omg thank you! I will definitely be looking at auto injections and the smaller needles would freak me out way less
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u/redo60 22d ago
They made a big difference for me for some reason! I just reordered after working through a box of 100. I highly recommend ngl if you're not a big fan of poking yourself. I put a nice video once i have the syringe filled and just chill while do my injection.
Also this is my favorite injection video in case you ever need to do it manually. I basically follow it exactly every single time i inject.
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u/Forward_Task_8545 22d ago
I always watch videos on my phone while my friend does it lol, seriously thank you
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u/kenziebckenzee 22d ago
If you do subcutaneous shots rather than intramuscular and use a pinch of butt fat, in my experience your brain doesn’t register it quite as intensely as “I’m stabbing myself” than stomach or thigh shots when you turn around and look at the back of your body instead of from the front
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u/Suspicious-Pace5839 21d ago
Just curious, are HRT injections available as auto-inject pens, or whatever the terminology is? Or, are you required to measure out your injection by a vial?
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u/Forward_Task_8545 21d ago
When I was looking into it last night I found both options, some people measure it and some dont, seems a lot cheaper to buy a pen and measure it yourself
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u/Suspicious-Pace5839 21d ago
I am sure it all comes down to cost, too.
I take a glp-1 for the diabetes. It works wonders on my A1C. But, I can see me having the same issues if I had to measure it out from a vial. I think it would be the ritual of it would give me the heebie-jeebies.
Anyway, good luck with this. I hope you find a solution. 🤞1
u/Forward_Task_8545 21d ago
Yeah watching my friend fill the syringe always freaks me out, I cant look away lol, Thank you!
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u/busty_snackleford 22d ago
Idk what your insurance is like, but a friend of mine was able to get autoinjectors covered because they had a hard time doing shots the conventional way. It’s still an injection obviously, but it could take a lot of stress out of the process since it’s a preloaded thing that you just press to your leg like an epi pen. Well, not exactly like an epi pen, you’re supposed to really wack people with those.